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Buffalo Grass Review

Matilda Buffalo Grass

Overview

A good all rounder Buffalo that has great wear tolerance. It is fast growing and has a medium width leaf compared to other Buffalos.

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4/5

Detailed Review

Matilda was a seedling derived from ‘Shademaster’ on a Hawkesbury turf farm west of Sydney, NSW. This is a fast growing turf variety that is a good all-rounder Buffalo. Matilda has a wider leaf than Sapphire, and a finer leaf than Sir Walter and Kings Pride, being similar in width to Palmetto. It did well in the wear tests and it was rated as moderate in the shade trials*, similar to Sir Walter and Kings Pride Buffalo Grasses. This is a very branching and fast growing Buffalo, so it is quick for the turf farmer, and recovers from wear well, but this does mean more mowing and garden edging. The other thing with fast growing highly branching Buffalo types is that after a few years they thatch more. This may help in wear situations, but it does mean you need to apply the correct maintenance every 2 to 3 years. Either remove the excess thatch by using a very low mowing height and scalp the Matilda lawn in Spring every 2 to 3 years making sure you collect the clippings, or use a de-thatching machine. The winter colour of Matilda seems to be similar to Sapphire and Sir Walter Turf. There is not as much of this grown as Sir Walter, Sapphire or Palmetto, so it may be harder to find. If you want a good strong grower or a good wearing buffalo than this could be for you, just remember to mow it short or de-thatch it every few years.

* There is no association or affiliation between Ozbreed and these research projects.

Detailed Star Rating

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For full disclosure purposes, Ozbreed and the editors are not related in any way to Matilda and have no right to grow, sell or license others to grow and sell the Matilda variety of grass. The views expressed here are views of the editors and writers and are for comparison use only.